


Dig in There, Mr. Spock

by VTsuion



Series: Moments Aboard the USS Enterprise and Beyond [12]
Category: Star Trek: The Original Series
Genre: Episode: s01e17 Shore Leave, Fluff, M/M, Massage, Short & Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-22
Updated: 2018-12-22
Packaged: 2019-09-24 23:17:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 536
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17110031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VTsuion/pseuds/VTsuion
Summary: Captain Kirk is exhausted, so Spock takes it upon himself to help him relax.





	Dig in There, Mr. Spock

It had been a long day, in a long week, in an even longer month. Captain James Kirk knew better than to expect a relaxing life as captain of the USS Enterprise. He was responsible for the lives and wellbeing of three hundred people, and he wouldn’t trade it for the whole galaxy, but sometimes…

As Dr. McCoy would say, “You’re only human, Jim.” But sometimes it felt like he had to be more than that.

He let out a sigh. The crew hadn’t had shore leave for months. They were feeling cramped and overworked and he was getting a headache just thinking about it. He tried to knead some of the tension out of his neck, but only managed to tire out his arm.

He heard the door to his quarters slide open with a whoosh and reflexively straightened his back. Thankfully it was only Spock.

Jim pulled at his neck again as he asked, “What is it now?” He stood, ready as he would ever be for the latest crisis.

“Nothing urgent,” Spock answered promptly.

Jim watched Spock evaluate him with those sharp eyes of his. He never missed a thing, so Spock had the distinguished privilege of seeing the captain in all his exhausted glory. Jim cracked a wry smile at the thought as he prepared for the inevitable lecture about not taking good enough care of himself.

Spock remained silent. Instead, he crossed the room and was standing just behind Jim before Jim had quite registered what was going on. Jim didn’t even have a chance to turn to face him or utter an exclamation of surprise when Spock began to massage his shoulders with steady, warm hands.

Jim let out an undignified “Ooh” of relief as Spock soothed his aching muscles. He was firm and methodical, as Jim would have expected. Jim had never sufficiently appreciated the precision and wealth of Vulcan knowledge of human anatomy before Spock’s hands traveled down his back, putting just the right amount of pressure in just the right places so that all the tension built up over the last month seemed to vanish.

He could have stood there forever, soaking up Spock’s warmth, and letting Spock massage him into a puddle of contentment. Jim leaned into Spock’s hands, vaguely wishing Spock would abandon his Vulcan propriety and envelop him entirely. As it was, Jim almost felt like he was submerged in the soothing warmth that seemed to emanate from Spock’s hands.

“I don’t know how the other captains survive,” Jim murmured. His eyes were already closed and he was almost on the verge of dozing off.

Before Jim actually managed to fall asleep on his feet, Spock stopped and pulled his hands away. Jim let out a noise of distress and nearly tripped over before he regained his bearings. He blinked back into awareness as his eyes struggled to readjust to the bright light.

Finally, he turned to face Spock. “Thank you.” After a pause, he said with a crooked smile, “May I ask?”

Spock straightened his posture and held up his head. “It is my duty to ensure that the captain is functioning to his full capacity.”

“I see,” Jim answered with a grin.

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by the classic line from the episode. Kirk must have some reason to expect Spock to spontaneously give him a back massage on the bridge. I'm sure I'm not the first to write something based on it, and I certainly won't be the last, but I decided I might as well share my take on it.
> 
> This was originally posted on my tumblr, vtsuion.tumblr.com, where I am posting shorts like this one, answering questions, and accepting writing prompts, so check it out!


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